<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Strong by Art3misiA</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26418427">Strong</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Art3misiA/pseuds/Art3misiA'>Art3misiA</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dumbledore's Armada Flash Fiction, F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:12:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26418427</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Art3misiA/pseuds/Art3misiA</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Is Pansy strong enough to fight for what she truly wants?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Pansy Parkinson/Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Words from heroes</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Strong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My prompt was a quote by Janet Mock: </p><p>"Owning who we are is power. Yes. We have to dare to stand out."</p><p>Beta love to Anne_Ammons. Thanks to Charlie9646 for hosting!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>Their first night together was after the big graduation party. A year had passed since the final battle, and everyone was still trying to heal. Consequently, the seventh years who returned after Voldemort’s defeat, along with the eighth years who elected or were required to retake their arrested final year of schooling, were more than ready to let off steam in a big way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Malfoy, of all people, offered up his family home as a venue, extending the invite to everyone - “Yes, even the Gryffindorks, Pansy. Don’t look at me like that! Potter would kill me if I excluded his boneheaded mates.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pansy laughed fondly at him. “You’re head over heels for Scarface, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not—!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She raised a skeptical eyebrow. Draco looked down at his feet, then up again with a sheepish grin. “Well, maybe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pansy was sure tensions would flare over the course of the evening as the liquor continued to flow. While a truce between the Slytherins and the other houses had been called upon their return to school, old rivalries died hard. For some, things remained uneasy at best - and at worst, tense, unstable and likely to shatter under the slightest disturbance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Pansy's surprise, however, everyone seemed to be doing an exceptional job at </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> hexing each other into oblivion. She sat on a plush two-seater chair, watching her classmates gyrating drunkenly on the dance floor. Suddenly, a warm, soft body flopped down beside her. Pansy caught a hint of something floral; sweet but not overpowering. Turning to greet the new arrival, she found herself staring into a pair of big blue eyes, ringed with dark eyeliner that made them pop. Her breath stilled for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Parkinson."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The redhead's voice was sultry, soft, and full of promise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Weasley."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Conversation was stilted at first, given they hadn't interacted often over the year; but as they discovered mutual interests and passions, it began to flow. Fashion. Charms. Dueling. Music. Parties. Eventually, they were reminiscing over barely-remembered, mundane events throughout their school years - events that had been overshadowed by danger and drama - and laughing uproariously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later that evening, Ginny suggested they dance. A slow number came on, and the redheaded witch pulled Pansy into her arms. They swayed slowly, eyes locked on each other. A moment of understanding passed between the women, then Ginny leaned forward and sealed their fates with a kiss.<br/><br/></span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span><br/>Their unexpected romance accelerated faster than the top speed on Ginny’s racing broom. Within three months they were sharing a flat in London, and settled easily into comfortable domesticity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally free of the stifling presence of her parents, Pansy felt for the first time in her life that she could breathe and began to believe she could be more than just a spoiled society daughter; while Ginny finally had her own space, a quiet retreat where she could relax and - added bonus! - a bathroom she only had to share with </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>other person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So when it all came crashing down a few months later, Pansy felt utterly defeated and lost.<br/><br/></span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span><br/>The letter had arrived early one morning just after the new year. Pansy and Ginny were still in bed, recovering from the night before. They had gone clubbing with a mix of friends: Neville, Luna, Harry, Draco, Ron and Susan Bones; and had arrived home in the early hours of the morning only to stagger drunkenly into bed, fumbling to divest each other of their party dresses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tap, tap, tap.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ginny groaned, peeped out from under the covers, and winced. “Bloody sunlight. And bloody owls. Who sends a letter at—” she fumbled around for her watch and squinted at it “—eleven am on a Sunday?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pansy slowly pulled herself into a half-sitting position and frowned in the direction of the window. She recognised her parents’ owl, Prometheus and instantly she felt sick to her stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. Whatever they want, it can’t be good. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pushed back the covers, padded across the room and let him in, taking the letter from his outstretched leg. Breaking the seal, she scanned the words. It took a moment for the message to register, but when it hit, she was overcome by nausea. She dropped the parchment and dashed for the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ginny rushed in after her, her expression full of concern. “Pans, baby, are you ok? What was in the letter?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dark-haired girl retched again, the strain causing her vision to swim. “My parents have decided it’s time I got married… to a wizard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once she had recovered, Pansy Flooed to her ancestral home to tell them she would not agree to an arranged marriage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am prepared to let you have a say in who the wizard is, but you </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>marry one,” her father said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. “You’ve had your fun, living with that Weasley girl, but now it’s time to grow up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But Father, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> her!” Pansy cried desperately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve known her for all of five minutes—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“—</span>
    <span>six years!—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what your father meant,” her mother interrupted with a long-suffering sigh. “Don’t be difficult. You hated the girl not long ago; now you expect us to believe you </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> her? You don't know what you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t humour the girl, Elise,” her father growled. “She’s just using this whole thing as a ploy to get out of doing her duty.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a ploy, and I won’t do it! You can’t make me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can and I will! I am your father and you will obey me!” He roared. “By Salazar, if you don’t, I will disown you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Edward, please… Don’t you think you’re overreacting—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quiet, woman!” Edward angrily shook off his wife’s hand, then turned back to his daughter with a fire in his eyes that made Pansy shrink. “Marry a wizard, or never darken my door again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew it was no idle threat. Utterly despondent, Pansy fled her family home in a flood of tears.<br/><br/></span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You can fight this, Pans! You’re strong!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t!  </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’m not!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are!  </span>
  </em>
  <span>We’ll fight it together. I’ll fight your father every step of the way, and so will my family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pansy laughed harshly. “Will they, though? They don’t really trust me. None of them do.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lifted her face from her sopping pillow and glared up at Ginny. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The redhead flushed and opened her mouth to argue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t. Don’t lie. They tolerate me, but they’ve never really accepted me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was true that the initial reaction to their relationship had been rocky. The rest of the Weasleys, and many of the Golden Trio’s friends, had been mistrustful of Pansy’s intentions at first. While most were at least civil to her face, they remained reserved and frosty. Only Potter had seemed to truly accept it, and Pansy felt with some resentment that he only felt that way because he had ended up with Draco, and to object or express disapproval would make him a hypocrite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speaking of hypocrisy, barely anyone had raised a fuss when the two former rivals came out as a couple. Then again, no one had been surprised, either, given the way the Slytherin Prince and the Boy Who Lived had been dancing around each other for the better part of the school year. She supposed, once she was able to stop being petulant about how easily everyone had accepted Draco and Potter's relationship, that it was precisely </span>
  <em>
    <span>because</span>
  </em>
  <span> they’d all seen it coming that the reaction had been so anticlimactic. Still, it burned that while their peers and those who knew them had grown accustomed to Pansy and Ginny being together, she still got the distinct feeling some of them expected her to betray the Gryffindor in the end, as she had tried to betray Potter to Voldemort before the final battle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And now, it was all for naught. She would be forced into a marriage she didn’t want with a wizard she most </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t want; and she would lose Ginny forever. The dark thoughts overwhelmed her, and Pansy buried her face in her pillow once more, her body shaking in the depths of her grief. Finally, exhausted, she fell into an uneasy, light slumber. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faintly, she registered Ginny’s gentle touch as she pushed Pansy’s sweaty hair off her forehead, followed by a shift in the mattress as she rose. She heard her footsteps as she left the room, and moments later their Floo roared to life. Unable to hold on to consciousness any more, Pansy slipped into a deeper sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <span><br/>When she awoke, the room was dim, the light of the day almost gone. Her throat was parched and her lips dry. She lay still, feeling unbearably weary. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should get up, get a glass of water.</span>
  </em>
  <span> But Pansy couldn’t seem to get her body to respond.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Movement caught her eye. The visitor nodded at her. “Hi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried to speak, but the only sound that came from her mouth was a croak. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here.” A gentle hand lifted her head and held a glass to her lips. She drank the cool liquid gratefully, then cleared her throat and spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Potter. What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gin asked me to come. I'm here to talk some sense into you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” she asked scornfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t give up, Parkinson. You wouldn’t only be giving up on your and Ginny's dreams. You’d be betraying yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do!”</span>
  </em>
  <span>  Potter replied emphatically. “I know better than anyone how it feels to live your life in the shadow of other people’s expectations. Ever since I became a part of this world, everyone has </span>
  <em>
    <span>expected</span>
  </em>
  <span> things of me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sounded bitter; and perhaps he had a right to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I came into the wizarding world with a legacy attached to me. Everyone knew who I was. Everyone expected me to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>great things.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Especially Dumbledore. I was never allowed to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>be.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pansy looked up at him. Potter was staring off into the distance, frowning, his fists clenched on his knees. He took a breath and continued. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that the war is over and Voldemort is dead, I refuse to live for anyone's expectations but my own. I’m going to live my life the way </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span>  want, without worrying that I might disappoint somebody. I’m reclaiming who I am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Potter turned his head and stared at her with a determined look in his eyes. “Owning who we are is power.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But—no, I—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. We’ve got to dare to stand out.” He grasped her shoulder and shook it gently. “Own who you are, Parkinson. Don’t be shackled by someone else’s perception of who they think you are or what they think you have to do. It’s your life. Take the power back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pansy let the words sink in. Scarhead was right. The war was over. The wizarding world was changing. She could be something more than just another pureblood daughter, bound for a life as a trophy and a broodmare. She could make her own name, find her own place. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>would.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Raising herself to a sitting position, she reached out and embraced the boy—</span>
  <em>
    <span>man</span>
  </em>
  <span>—in front of her. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for helping me see.” Looking over his shoulder, she saw Ginny standing in the doorway, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Pansy got to her feet, rushed over to the redhead and clutched her tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll fight,” she promised. “I’ll fight for us, and for myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, Pansy visited her parents to deliver her ultimatum. If they chose to disown her, it would be on their own heads; she would not comply with their orders or bow to their expectations. She held the power. She would dare to stand out, with Ginny by her side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She would </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>